There was lots of news out of Ohio about the defeat of the marijuana issue, very little about this one.

Seattle passed an Honest Elections Seattle initiative. It passed by 60%. It is a bit complicated, which is one reason why many urged to vote against it. Again, there was very little mention of this one in the news. It works like this:

For each campaign season, each registered voter is given four vouchers, each for $25. The voters give them to candidates they like – which means the candidates actually have to engage and please the voters. The candidates redeem the vouchers to fund their campaigns. The whole thing is funded by an $8 property tax on homes worth more than $400K.

Another aspect of the initiative is that corporations that do more than $250K in business with the city in a year are banned from donating to candidates.

Terrence Heath references the campaign literature and adds a few comments. The initiative would:

1. Limit big money interests in city politics.

2. Ensure candidates listen to voters, not corporations. Citizens may donate to a campaign beyond their vouchers, but are limited to $500 total in an election cycle. In addition, top city employees must wait three years after leaving office before becoming a lobbyist.